Operating headlight



June 21 1927.

' 1,632,851 W. P. REAVES OPERATI NG HEADLIGHT..-.

Filed June '7. 19,21 2 Sheets-Sheet l I 2 1 1 9 June 27 w. P. REAVES OPERATI NG HEADLI GH'I Filed June 7. 1921- 2 Sheets-Sheet Joye/afar- I Patented June 21,1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OPERATING HEADLIGHT.

Application filed-June 7; 1921. Serial No. 475,713.

This application which is in part a continuation ofmy application 393,144 filed June 30, 1920, relates to apparatus for 11111- minating deep openings or channels in performing surgical operations. It is especially useful in performing operations in the nose, throat and ear, although well adapted for all surgical operations in which artificlal illumination is necessary, and it may be employed for lighting the bronchoscope eliminatmg the danger of short circuits therein.

The invention also comprises means whereby the patient or subject may be permitted to view the seat of trouble in the nose or throat and also means whereby one or more students or assisting surgeons may view and follow an operation in a deep cavity. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the means for permitting observers to follow an operation;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the head light proper;

Figure 4 is a plan view partly in section on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Figure 5 is a rear view of the lamp suportp Figure 6 is a sectional View illustrating a means for adjusting the lamps;

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the bus 7-? of Fig. 6 including an observing tube, not shown in Fig. 6;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the observing tube;

Figure 9 is a sectional view through one of the lamps on an enlarged scale, and

Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the fields of light produced by the lamps and the overlapping of these fields upon a part to be operated on when the lamps are properly focused.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates an adjustable band adapted to fit on the operatorshead and to support the illuminating and reflecting apparatus. A lamp support or member 11 is carried by the hand through the medium of two universal joints 12, 13, a connecting link 14 and a locking screw 15. The parts described, with the exception of the lamp support, are old and form no part of the present invention. They are adapted to sustain the lamp support 11 in any desired position with respect to the eye of an operator wearing the band.

Referring to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the lamp support 11 is shown as having a rear wall 16 and a forward wall 17. Centrally arranged in the two walls are apertures 18, 19 through which the operator directly views the part to be operated on. In order to brightly illuminate said part two electric lamps 20 are mounted upon the lamp support in parallel relation and on opposite sides of the apertures 18, 19. The construction of a suitable form of electric lamp for this purpose is illustrated in Figure 9. Referring to this figure, 21 illustrates an elec tric light bulb of usual construction which is attached to a suitable base 22. The base is adjustably connected to the rear wall 16 of the lamp support by means of a screw 23 passing through a washer 24. The aperture 25 for the screw is preferably larger than the screw so that by loosening the screw the lamps may be adjusted vertically, horizontally or any combination of these directions. After adjusting a lamp to a desired position it is clamped, thereby tightening the screw 23. When the screws 23 are loosened the lamps may be rotatively adjusted about their axes in order to obtain proper adjustment of the lamp filaments.

Connected to the lamp base is a tube 26, surrounding the lamp, and telescopically mounted on this tube is a second tube 27 carrying a lens-28 which is adapted to direct the rays from the electric light forward in substantially parallel lines. The lens. may be adjusted with respect to the lamp to focus the light for different operations by sliding the tube 27 upon the tube 26 in a well known manner.

The electric light bulb usually employed is provided with a filament which lies in a single plane and the light from an incandescent filament of this character when thrown on an object covers an approximately elliptical field. In Figure 10, 29 indicates the center of the field of vision and 30 and 31 the fields covered by the rays of the two lamps which fields overlap so that the locality of the operation or the field of vision is brightly illuminated with the rays of both lamps. Because of the increased illumination of the overlapping areas, as compared to that obtained with a single lamp, the bulbs in the lamps need not be subjected to full voltage. That is to say, the overlapping areas will be sufliciently illuminated with bulbs where the voltage is below the rated voltage. Consequently the danger of a bulb burning out during an operation is lessened. Of course the electric light filaments may have other forms in which case the fields of light produced by the lamps would be different in outline but, in any event, the fields will be more or less circular and may be adjusted to overlap to any degree as shown in Figure 10 by properly adjusting the lamps on the lamp support. The overlapping of the cones of light is also illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2. The electric lights are supplied with current from any suitable source, such as a storage battery (not shown), through a suitable conductor'32.

A mirror 33 is carried by the lamp support so that it may have a universal adjustment with respect thereto. As shown in Fig. 3 the mirror is rotatably mounted on a post 34 which is hinged to a stud 35 bolted on to the front plate 17 of the lamp support. The mirror is also adjustable longitudinally of the post 34, being frictionally held thereon, and hence the mirror may be adjusted to difi'erent heights and to any angle with respect to the lamp support. It will be evident that by suitably adjusting the mirror the patient being examined for nose or throat trouble may view the seat of trouble.

In order to permit one or more additional persons to view an operation, and especially for the purpose of instructing students, I provide an additional mirror or mirrors which reflect the rays of light from the mirror 33 rearwardly to the observer. As illustrated a mirror 36 is slidably and rotatably mounted on the post 37 which post is rotatably mounted on a bracket 38 which is also rigidly connected to the lamp support. It will be evident that when the two mirrors 33, 36 are suitably adjusted the rays of light thrown on the part being operated on will be reflected by the mirrors 33, 36 to the eye of an observer such as indicated at 39 in Figure 1. In like manner a third mirror 33 may be arranged below the sight openings 18, 19 to reflect the seat of the operation upon a fourth mirror 36 which in turn will reflect the rays to the eye of an observer which may be located for instance at 39*.

The mirror 36 may be mounted on a post reference characters. I have also indicated the eye of the operating surgeon by the numeral 40 and the cavit at the bottom of which the operation is eing performed by the numeral 41.

In Fi ures 6 and 7 I have illustrated a means Ior simultaneou-sl 'adjustin the lamps to and from the sig it opening in the lamp support. Referring to these figures, 42, 42 indicate lugs which are fixed to the lamp cylinders 26. These lugs are threaded with right and left threads and are mounted on aright and left hand screw 43 provided with a thumb nut 44. The lam support 11 is slotted at 45 to permit of a justment of the lamps to and from each other and it will be evident that by turning the screw 43 an adjustment within limits may be obtaine I prefer to provide this form of my apparatus with the sighting tube which is adapted to fit in the support between the lamp bases such tube being indicated at 46and having a plate 47 adapted to be seated at the central part of the slot 45 as shown in Figure 7.

One of the principal defects of the head mirror in connection with operations in small deep cavities is that the convergence of the rays is so great that they do not carry to the bottom of thecavity, with the result that the sides and bottom are not sufficiently illuminated. Where a single source of direct light is employed, the center line of the ray of light and the line of vision being ofi'set at the surgeons head must be inclined to each other in order to reach the cavity with the result that they intersect. quently under the best conditions, only one side and more or less of the-bottom of the cavity are illuminated. In the present apaaratus all sides and the bottom of the cavity are brilliantly illuminated. Thus, referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings it will be Conseseen that the rays of light from the bottom source 20 illuminate the bottom and upper sides of the cavity 41 and the upper source of light 20 illuminates the opposite sides and also the bottom of the cavity. In thismanner all the sides and the bottom of the cavity are thoroughly illuminated. If desired the lamps may be adjusted on their support so as to be inclined slightly one toward the other.

Although the invention has been described in detail, it is to be understood that it is not limited to the exact constructions shown but includes modifications and changes which come Within the scope of the appended .claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an operating headlight for surgeons,

a supporting plate having a central aperture through which the surgeon may view the parts being operated on, and a plurality of electric lamps mounted on said plate in substantially parallel relation.

noaaau 2. In an operatin headlight for surgeons, in combination wit a supporting plate having a central aperture through which the surgeon may view the parts being operated on, of a plurality of electric lamps mounted on said su port in substantially parallel relation, sai lamps-having means 'for focusing the light upon the field of vision.

3. Inanoperating headlight for surgeons, a supporting plate having a central aperture through which the surgeon may view the arts being operated on, and a plurality of e ectric lamps mounted on said plate in substantially arallel relation, said lamps being adapter? which overlap upon the fieldof vision.

4. In apparatus for illuminating surgical operations the combination with a amp suport of two electric lamps mounted thereon 1n substantially parallel relation, said support having a sight opening arranged tween said lamps, and said lamps being mounted for adjustment toward and from the sight opening.

In apparatus for illuminating surgical operations the combination with a lamp support of two electric lamps mounted thereon in substantially parallel relation, said support having a sight opening arranged between said lamps, a head band and means for carrying the. lamp support in any desired relation to the head band to permit the o rator to view an operation through the sight opening.

6. In apparatus for illuminating surgical operations the combination with a head band, a lamp support carried thereby and a lamp carried by the support, of a mirror mounted on the support for receiving the rays of light from the part to be operated on and a second mirror adjustably mounted on the support adapted to transmit rays refiected from the first mirror to the eye of an assisting surgeon or other observer;

7. In apparatus for illuminating surgical operations the combination with a head band, a lamp support carried thereby and a lamp carried by the support, of a mirror mounted on the support for receiving the rays of light from the part to be operated on and a second mirror mounted on the support adapted to transmit rays reflected from the first mirror to the eye of an assisting surgeon or other observer, each of said mirrors being mounted for universaladjustment.

8. Apparatus of the character described comprising in combination, a head band, a member adjustably carried by said band at the front thereof and spaced therefrom, said member formed with a sight aperture, two sources of illumination disposed on opposite sides of said aperture and carried by said member, and means adjustably carried bysaid member for reflecting rays of light in to produce fields of light the field of vision of said aperture to a point in rear of said band.

9. Apparatus for illuminating and reflecting surgical operations com r isin in combination, a head band, a mem er ad ustably carried by said band at the front thereof and formed with a sight aperture, two lamps with projecting lenses carried by said member on opposite sides of said aperture, a pa 1r of mirrors each adjustably carried by said member disposed to reflect objects in the field of vision of the surgeon to an assistng sur eon or other observer, the field illummate and reflected moving as a whole with the line of vision of the operating:

surgeon over the o erating field.

10 Apparatus or illuminating and refleeting surgicaloperations comprising in combination, a member provided with an aperture, means to adjustably secure said member the head of the surgeon with the aperture in front of the 'surgeons eyes, means adjustable with said member to cast overlapp ng beams of light on the surgeons field of v sion through said aperture,the center of said overlapping beams substantially coinciding with 'thecenter of said field of vision, and means, adjustably mounted, movable with said member for reflecting rays of light in the field of vision to an observer of the operation.

11. In .an operating headlight for surgeons, a supporting plate having a central aperture through which the surgeon may view the parts being operated on, and a plurality ofsources of illumination adjustably mounted on said plate.

12. In an operating headlight for surgeons, a support, a source of illumination adustably mounted on said support adapted to directly illuminate an object in front of said support, a reflecting mirror mounted on said support, a bracket carried by said support and an additional mirror carried by said bracket.

13. In an operating headlight for surgeons, a support,.a source of illumination adcarried thereby adapted to directly illuminate an object in front of said support, a mirror pivotally mounted on said support and a second mirror carried by said support and adapted to face said first mentioned mirror.

14. In an operating headlight for surgeons, a supporting plate having a central aperture throughwhich the surgeon may view the parts being operated upon, a plurality of light sources mounted on said plate and a plurality of mirrors also mounted on said plate and adjustable so that a student may witness the progress of the operation when standing at a point at one side of the surgeon.

15. In an operating headlight for surgeons, a centrally perforated supporting plate, means for securing said plate to the head of the surgeon, a source of light carried by said late, and means movable with the head of t e surgeon for enabling a student standing at one side of the surgeon to View the operation.

16. In asurgical operating headlight, a centrally perforated supporting plate havin a plurality-of openings therein, a plura .ity of sources of illumination each mounted in one of said openings and movable bodily with respect to the sup orting plate, a plurality of mirrors carried y said plate, each of said mirrors being adjustable so as to reflect a view of the operation at one side of the surgeon, said plate, said sources of light, and said mirrors being carried by the head of the surgeon and movable as a unit.

17. In a surgical operating headlight, a supporting plate adapted to be suspended from the head of the surgeon, a source of light adjustably mounted on said plate, a .mirror mounted on said plate at one side of said source of illumination, a bracket, and a mirror .carried by said bracket and adapted to reflect light rays received from said first mentioned mirror at a point to one side of the surgeon, whereby a student ma witness the operation while standing behin and out throughw ich the surgeon views the affected parts, a plurality of sources of light mounted on said plate so as not to interfere with the surgeons line of vision, and means for adjustably securing each of said sources of light on said plate so as to concentrate their rays on the parts to be operated upon.

19. Dan operating headlight for surgoons, a perforated plate adapted to be secured to the head of the surgeon, a mirror adjustably carried by said plate and an additional mirror in front of and at one side of said first mentioned mirror, whereby the surgeon may view the operation through the perforation in the plate and a student ob server may simultaneously observe the operation by means of the tWO' mirrors without interfering with the surgeon.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

WILLIAM PERRY REAVES. 

